Ryan Lee will take charge of Celtic’s first away fixture of the new Scottish Premiership season when Martin O’Neill’s side travel to face Kilmarnock on Sunday.
The Hoops head to Ayrshire looking to build on Monday night’s 1-0 victory over Dundee, which ensured they made a winning start to their title defence.
Sunday’s encounter will also mark a significant occasion for Kilmarnock, with Rugby Park hosting a competitive match on a grass surface for the first time since 2014 following the removal of the club’s artificial pitch.
The Scottish FA have appointed 29-year-old Lee as the match referee, continuing what has been a rapid rise through the domestic and European ranks for the official.
Frank Connor and Daniel McFarlane will operate as Lee’s assistants, while Greg Soutar has been selected as the fourth official.
Andrew Dallas will oversee VAR duties from Clydesdale House, with David Dickinson appointed as his assistant.
Despite his relatively young age, Lee already has experience of 16 matches in Scotland’s top flight, having made his Premiership bow when Hearts recorded a 3-0 victory over Motherwell in May 2025.
Celtic supporters have only seen him referee one of their previous league fixtures, although that game carries particular significance in the context of O’Neill’s latest spell at the Hoops.
Lee was the man in the middle when Celtic swept aside Falkirk 4-0 last October in O’Neill’s first match after returning to the dugout on an interim basis.
Across his Premiership appointments to date, Lee has shown an average of 2.75 yellow cards per game.
He has also previously taken charge of Celtic in cup competition, officiating their dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory against Dundee earlier this year.
On that occasion, O’Neill’s men were just seconds away from crashing out of the Scottish Cup before eventually surviving the scare and progressing after extra-time.
Lee’s overall Premiership record stands at five penalties awarded, three red cards shown and 44 yellow cards across his 16 appearances.
His progress was recognised further last December when he was added to the International List of FIFA Referees.
The appointment saw Lee become the first male referee representing the Edinburgh District Referees Association to receive that distinction in two decades.
That opened the door to his first senior assignment on the European stage last month, when he oversaw Levadia Tallinn’s emphatic 5-0 victory against Caernarfon Town in Conference League qualifying.
Lee will now return to domestic duty at Rugby Park as Celtic attempt to maintain their perfect start to the Premiership campaign.
HAVE YOUR SAY – Join the Celtic conversation in our comments section below…
Quick Tip – Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!
